Every day around the UK, an army of unpaid volunteers put their lives on the line to try and save complete strangers.
Saving Lives At Sea tells the story of these ordinary men and women who are doing something extraordinary – giving up their free time to staff more than two hundred RNLI lifeboat stations right across the country and provide a vital rescue service on Britain’s waters.
From the north of Scotland to the south coast of England, in holiday resorts, working harbours, and on the river Thames, volunteers are ready to launch their boats and race to the rescue within minutes of a cry for help coming in – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whatever the weather.
Using a combination of specially designed boat-mounted cameras, helmet cameras and directors embedded at lifeboat stations the length and breadth of Britain, this series takes us right into the heart of the action, capturing the unpredictable work of the RNLI in never-before-seen detail.
The series provides an insight into the lives and motivations of the volunteers, uncovering the stories of those they are called upon to rescue, and exploring our island nation’s evolving relationship with the seas that surround us.
The volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution staff more than 230 stations covering the most far-flung areas of Britain’s coastline but the busiest station by far is on the river Thames.
